Walking the Camino with Heather and Theresa

Slept well and it was a pleasure to throw open the french windows and look out onto the garden and welcome a new day. Thankfully, after the tiredness of last night and the lack of stretching my legs functioned well. Breakfast was french bread and croissants served in the foyer area of the hotel, washed down with coffee, simple but delicious. The owner explained that there was an alternative route we could take to get us on the path but that meant missing out the town where we wanted to buy some provisions for lunch so after a photo stop [...]

Saturday May 7th. Up, breakfasted and off on our way by 9.00 feeling a little apprehensive about this steep climb from the bridge. It’s described as the ‘passage sportif’ and you are strongly warned against it. We though, were not going to be put off and didn’t remember it being that bad. We walked through the town with purpose and remembered our route from the last time and then there was the bridge and a couple of walkers ahead. We wanted to have a photo taken to mark the event and were trying to decide who to ask when a [...]

Friday 6th May and rather strange to find ourself in France and not out early on the path. In fact it was after 8.30 when we woke and on opening the curtains we were blinded by the light. We washed, packed our bags and were able to leave them in the hotel while we went off to get breakfast and explore a little. We retraced our steps back to the basilica but no ideal breakfast on route. Instead when we got the the Basilica St Sernin we had a wander round the perimeter and then went to visit, no time [...]

This time on the Camino, Teresa and I are trying to cut down on our taxi expenditure so we’re having an extra day so we can get to Cahors by public transport! Last time it had cost us 195 euros to get to the airport at Rodez. The excitement has been building for weeks and days as the date draws near and here we are on May 5th doing it so much earlier then last year to get away from the high 30 degree heat. We rendezvoused at Gatwick within 10 minutes of each other and after checking in with [...]

Tuesday, June 29th Up and ready to tackle the last day of this section and get to Cahors. Only 13 miles so perhaps we’ll have some time to explore. After a lovely breakfast at the Lion d’Or, we visited the local boulangerie to buy lunch. The lady who worked there was so helpful and the food looked delicious so we purchased Salmon and Leek tart, Croque Monsieur and Pizza, ll freshly made of course and some still warm. We retraced our steps taking in the market that was just setting up and took a few more photos including this one [...]

Monday 28th June About 24 kms to cover today , about 15 miles and we’re staying in somewhere off the GR65 so I woner how all of that will work. Fingers crossed. Overcast when we woke, some thing we’re not used to and it’s due to be only 28 degrees today, that’s a great change from what it’s been. Challenges started straight away though as for some reason we were heading out of town the wrong way so thanks to the motorist who put us right. I was looking forward to seeing the lavoir in Limogne as I have a [...]

Well I wonder what’s in store for us today? We had some time to enjoy breakfast this morning in our adopted hotel but then our lift arrived to whisk us back to the original starting point in Cajarc. He decided to take us the scenic route along the Lot valley which was beautiful but thank goodness the hotel had held onto the luggage bus for us otherwise we’d have been facing more challenges. From where we set off on day 4 and the day seemed to start off somewhat cooler. Cajarc in the background From our point of looking back [...]

Saturday 25th June Well that was today’s incentive and after a good nights sleep, I woke early and could have had breakfast but the other two were struggling to get their act together – sods law. Oh well, off again and again it’s over 18 miles. Think that perhaps we’ll come earlier next year, walking in mid and high 30 degrees is not what we planned! We’re always chirpy as we set out and our first stop was to get lunch, today bought in a very pretty little Boulangerie where fresh rolls were made up for us. We didn’t get [...]

Friday, June 25th Teresa was feeling all the better for her long sleep last night but as temperatures were still high, we agreed to amke sure that we did all we could to prevent more of the same. We started about 8.15 and retraced our steps to where we entered Decazaville the day before and picked up the signs. Photo taken in mirror as we reached the top and could look back at Decazeville We stopped briefly at the Eglise Saint Roch where an old man told us stories of the church and the people and of course, the Camino. [...]

Thursday 24th June The sun was shining, breakfast was great – croissants and french bread, fruit juice, fruit and yoghurt and our freshly made rolls were purchased from the bakery across the way from the hotel. Now time to get back on the trail. Our path took us down the Rue Charlemagne under the Porte du Barry and then across the Dourdou River and up towards the Chapelle Sainte Foy. Arty photo taken on the way down to the river. Teresa contemplates the climb. The sun is hot already and as we start to climb, the water starts to be [...]

Our Story

Teresa and I met when I was training a group of wonderful women to get fit to walk a 60 km walk through London over 2 days in September 2006. Teresa became a team member. The walk was to raise money for Breakthrough to Breast Cancer and 16 of us trained, built a great bond and walked together in great style.
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After the walk, a core of women wanted to continue so the East End Girls team became a women only walking group called the East End Girls and we have been walking at least once a month since then.
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During one of our walks, Teresa and I discovered our wish to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostella. Because of lifestyle, we were unable to do it in one fell swoop so we researched and decided to start in Le Puy en Velay in Central France and take as long as it took to reach Santiago, a distance of over 1000 miles.
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Our first section was undertaken in October 2008 and since that we've visited once a year. Our wish is to do two sections a year so we're working on that. En route, we laugh, talk,enjoy the magnificent scenery, put the world to rights and love these days of escape that allow us to be two wonderful women together.